Issues with Developing 35 film.

[GraphicGuy]

What does it mean when there are lines on your film after you develop them? the lines are about the same thickness as the holes on the sides?

 

[dxqcanada]

Are the lines dark on the film ?
Do they run straight from one sprocket hole to the one below it ?

Do you develop your film in a canister with a film spool/reel ?

 

[aerialphoto]

Sounds like either over-agitation (assuming you're tank processing yourself), or stress marks on the film from being wound backward ("backwound") in the canister, or (less likely) stressed in a machine processor somehow.

 

[Dwig]

I agree, either:

Stress marks - two lines per sprocket hole, one one either side. Common cause is reverse winding the film. This is often done when rewinding by turning the crank the wrong direction (assuming the rewind knob doesn't unscrew in the process) causing the film to make an overly sharp turn as it enters the cassette. It can also happen when someone plays with the rewound cassette turning the spool in the reverse direction.

or

Surge markes from excessive agitation - one "line" that softly tapers to a rounded point and fades lighter away from the sprocket hole

There is a third possibility: fogging of the film from a camera back light leak (usually from opening the back before rewinding). This is usually uneven down the length of the roll.

 

[GraphicGuy]

Thanks to everyone. I was not aware of the "over-agitation", but I think it was probably rewinding it backwards. This is my first year of teaching graphic design and photography, so I have to get brushed up on these little things. I just never had that happen to me. I had two students find film looking like this after they developed it, back-to-back days, but that was the first time all year.
Yes, they are loading it on a spool and doing it manually.

Thanks again,
Wade

 

[chris]

Over agitation at the development stage can lead to over development over the whole of the film and result in darker than usual negatives but I can't see how it would ever give the lines you have. Over agitation at the fix stage would have to be really drastic to have any effect at all and again would affect the whole film.

The most likely cause of the lines is either insufficient agitation or the use of exhausted chemicals. Refix the film using fresh chemicals, if the cause was exhausted fix then this should remove the lines.

 

[GraphicGuy]

Chris,

Thanks. You hit it right on the head. I appreciate everyone's responses, they have been very helpful. I was surprised that the fixer was already bad, after filling it not long ago. I had the student run it through the new developer and they came out better.

Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

-Wade